Discover the best tourist attractions of western Ukraine with Maria Zawaski! Maria is a freelance journalist, born on the West of Ukraine, got married to Canada. "Now, when I live abroad, I recommend to all my foreign friends to visit western part of my home country Ukraine. Why the western one - it is because I used to live there, so I am more familiar with that part of the country and I can tell lots of stories about the culture, lifestyle and traditions of Ukrainian West," Maria says

When Is The Best Time To Visit West Ukraine?

So, when is the best time to travel to the West Ukraine? Of course, it’s up to you. Every person has own preferences. My husband and I just would like to share our preferences with you; so these tips are based on experience of our travels to the western Ukraine. We made a list of the best months for touring to Ukraine and the worst as well. So, the best are December, January, April, May, June, September, October; the worst are February, March, July, August, November.
Ok, let’s start from a winter. I am sure that many of you associate the word “winter” with “Christmas”. If you want to see all the unique West Ukrainian traditions of celebrations Christmas, to feel a magic of Ukrainian Christmas Eve, to enjoy Ukrainian Christmas Carols,you better go in January (Ukrainian Christmas is January 7). Well, you can start your trip in December, because both December and January are really two nice winter’s months in western Ukraine, especially in small towns and villages. There are usually snowing, like it suppose to be in winter, but I remember one or two Christmas Holidays when we did not have snow at all (I am originally from West Ukraine).
Ukrainian weather is different than, for example, North American weather. When my North American husband came to Western Ukraine in winter time, he said, “I am cold!” It was only minus 10 outside. I could not believe it said by husband who feels okay in minus 20 in North America. The reason why he felt so cold is a very high humidity in western Ukraine, almost 100 percents, so it is very damp out.
Next two months, February and March, are the dampest in western Ukraine. The weather is changes every day, one day it is sunny, next day it is snowing, besides, it is snow with a rain, mud is everywhere; so instead of enjoying of local sightseeing you are thinking about closest café and cup of tea or even bowl of hot soup. There is the highest risk to catch cold in February and March in Ukraine. So we would not recommend February and March for traveling to West Ukraine. But, again, if you are not scared of damp weather and mud, of course, you can go.
Or maybe you will wait until April, May or June? Oh, they are our favorite months for traveling to West Ukraine! Why? Because it is already not that damp and cold, like in February or March, but still not that hot like in July or August. April it is a month when trees and flowers start to blossom and high West Ukrainian humidity becomes a benefit: you can SMELL SPRING.You can smell aroma of blossomed cherry trees (apple trees, lilac, chestnuts or tulips) even walking on the street. All the aromas are enhance at nighttime: what a romantic nights in western Ukraine!April, May and June (mostly fist part of June) is great for excursions and adventures, because the weather is just perfect.
So, what about next two months, July and August, which are the busiest months for world tourism? Well, they are very good months to visit Western Ukraine, but… They are not my family’s preferences, because of this West Ukrainian humidity again. If April, May and June's middle temperature (I mean mostly first part of June) is up to plus 20 in West Ukraine, the temperature of July and August is up after plus 20. So after plus 20 the Ukrainian humidity becomes bad again: it makes weather even hotter than it appears. Besides, there are no air-conditioners in many hotels, houses, apartments and public transportation in West Ukraine. You are sweating, your hands are always sticky, you want cold shower all the time, what is not make you a happy tourist at all. Well, maybe somebody doesn’t pay an attention for such small things, but not me! For my husband either, he hates too hot weather. There is only place in western Ukraine where we can feel ourselves very comfortable even in July or August: the Carpathians Mountains.We forget about damp hot weather of July or August, enjoying a clean mountains air, watching an incredibly beautiful sightseeing and listening to wild hutsul music
But, anyway, if life is giving us a choice, we better wait to September and October to go to the West Ukraine. September and October are two amazing months for traveling to Ukraine, for our family’s opinion. Ukrainians that are romantics calls this season a Golden Fall, it is because of lots of yellow leafs on the trees.What a magnificent views for tourists! Fall is also a wedding season in Western Ukraine.
Realistic Ukrainians call these months as potato season, because almost every Ukrainian landowner is growing potatoes and other veggies to have an own food supplies for winter. So you can go to any village or dacha (dacha is a property in a suburb area) and to see how Ukrainians are digging, picking and sorting potatoes. You can even ask to help, if you want. Believe me, it will be an experience of lifetime for you, because people in rural area of Western Ukraine do not have machines for digging, so they dig with shovels.
Yes, hurry up to visit West Ukraine in September and October, because November on the way, with damp weather again, with a mud under your feet and with naked trees instead of golden beauty. But don’t be so disappointed, because December and January are coming again :)

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You don’t need visa for travel to Ukraine

If you are citizen of USA, Canada, European Union, Switzerland or Liechtenstein, you don’t need a TOURIST visa for travel to Ukraine. Decree about it was signed in 2005. Tourist visa to Ukraine means that you are going to stay in Ukraine not more than 90 days. So for your short term stay in Ukraine (less than 90 days) you just need to have a travel passport and to buy a ticket, that’s it.
P.S. The same rules work for the citizens of Japan, Andorra, Vatican, Iceland, Monaco, Norway and San Marino. People of these countries don’t need a tourist visa to Ukraine, too.